Stamp-canceling machine



(NoModeL) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 G. E. BARNARD. STAMP 'GANGELING MACHINE.

No. 518,440. Patented Apr. '17, 1894.

30 0 5 70 a $563, 70 rvEar 4mm. gw a W I 7') 7H5 NAYIGNAL LITMOGRAPHINGCOMPANY WASHIN I (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

G. EQB ARNARD. STAMP GANGELING MACHINE.

No. 518,440. Patented Apr. 17, 1894.

I l7z/venia2- Z7 M wi aziwe UNrTnn STATES PATENT OFFICE...

GEORGE EZRA BARNARD, OF FITOHBURG, MASSACHUSETTS.

STAMP-CANCELING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 518,440, dated April17, 1894.

Application filed September 13, 1893. Serial No. 485,402. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, GEORGE EZRA BARNARD, of Fitchburg, in the county ofVorcester and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in Stamp-Cancelling Machines; and I do herebydeclare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of thesame, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a partof this specification, and to the letters of reference marked thereon.

This invention relates to improvements in stamp canceling andpostmarking machines of the class described in my prior patent, No.501,816, dated July 18, 1893, the object of the invention being tosimplify the mechanism and improve its operation, whereby the inking ofthe backs of the letters or other portions than that intended, isprevented, a further object being to dispense with the necessity ofemploying a moving support and to provide an efficient means forassembling the letters after being marked.

Referring to the accompanying drawings Figure 1 is an elevation lookingat the upper side of a machine constructed in accordance with my presentinvention. Fig. 2 is a transverse section taken through the drive shaftand looking toward the rear end of the machine. Fig. 3 is a plan view ofthe preferred form of support over which the letters are passed intraveling to and from the inking point. Fig. 4 is a longitudinal sectionof the same. Fig. 5 is a sectional elevation of the figures indicate thesame parts.

The machine embodying my present invention preferably occupies aninclined position, that is to say, the support over which the letterstravel to and from the printing point, is

inclined in a plane at right angles to the direction of movement of theletters, and for Referring particularly now to Fig. 2, it will be seenthat the base A upon which the inclined supplemental base A is mounted,carries a bearing B for the drive wheel 13' and on the shaft of thelatter a beveled pinion B is mounted and adapted to mesh with asimilarpinion 0 carried by the drive shaft 0 supported in bearings in asuitable frame C mounted rigidly on the supplemental base A. Upon theshaft 0' there is mounted rigidly a relatively narrow central pulley Dand loose outside pulleys D, and a drive belt E passing over thesepulleys, and over the similarly formed pulleys D at the opposite end ofthe machine serves as the means for moving the letters, as willpresently be understood. In the preferred construction, the belt isprovided with a central line of eyelets or grommets for the reception ofpoints d on the narrow central pulley, and in addition, it is providedwith a series of sets of points or carrying projections e on the outside, corresponding in location to the ribs on the belt in my saidformer machine. Carried by the frame and located immediately over thebelt throughout its entire length, is a stationary support or table Ffor receiving the letters and having a series of longitudinal slots ftherein through which the projections c on the belt are adapted to passand project a short distance above its upper surface. The slots extendto points beyond the top of the pulleys in order that the points mayenter and pass out of the slots freely,and in order to facilitate theirentrance, the ends of each of the slots are enlarged as shown at theright in Fig. 3. The elfectlof this construction it will be seen atonce, is to carry anything deposited on the stationary support along anddischarge it from the front end, and in order to have letters movedalong, it is only necessary to allow them to drop in front of the pointson the drive belt. In order to prevent the letters from sliding off atthe side, a guard rail fis located at the lower edge of the support andin order to afiord room for the printing device, the slots arepreferably located in the upper portion of the I00 support, but with thelowermost one low.

enough to underliethe narrowest letter which the machine is designedtoact upon.

The shaft G upon whichthe printing die is mounted, is carried insuitable standards G projecting up from the frame 0 and it is driven bygears G and G from the main drive shaft. Supported in bearings above thedie shaft G is a shaft gcarrying theinking wheel g mounted and driven justas in my said patented machine. The wheel itself in the presentinstance however consists of a central hub g preferably having outwardlyprojecting flanges 9 between which the absorbent pad is held. A channelor chamber g having an open work or foraminous top is formed in thewheel beneath the pad for the reception of a supply of'ink which may beintroduced through filling orifices g in the side of the wheel. I preferto form the chamber by driving double pointed tacks over a. groove inthe hub as shown at the top in Fig. 9, or by locating an open spiralaround the hub, as shown in Fig. 10.

The printing dieis double faced as usual, and in order tobring eitherface desired into operative position it is providedwith acontrally'located cylindrical opening of proper size to fitaccurately-and take a bearingon a cam or eccentric h secured on the dieshaft by a set screw. From this it will be seen (Figs. 6 and 8) that theface of the die over the thick side of the cam will travel in a largercircle or be farther from the shaft and center of rotation than theother face, the result being that it alone does the printing. Now inorder to lock the die in either position, a collar k is keyed on theshaft at one side of the cam so as to rotate therewith but capable of alimited longitudinal movement on the shaft against the tension of spring71 and by providing the collar with a pin adapted to enter either of twoholes in the die, it will be seen that the collar may be drawn back, thedie turned to advance the other printing face and then the pin insertedin the other aperture to hold it in such position.

An opening I is formed in the support F immediately below the printingdie, and through this opening the face of what Ishall herein term theprinting cam projects. This cam lettered K, Figs. 6 and 7, is journaledon a shaft and is normally held in position' shown in Fig. 6, by meansof a spring is with its rear edge or portion at approximately orslightly above the level of the support F. The die and printing cam areprovided with projections which pass each other under normalcircumstances and allow the die to rotate but which when a letter orother body is interposed prevent them from passing and cause the twomembers, namely the die and cam, to rotate in unison, thereby making animpression upon the interposed article. It is obvious that this resultcan be attained by careful adjustment of the parts so that the die willjust escape the cam in rointerposed, bind against the cam and cause itto turn with it, forcing the latter up against the printing surface, butI prefer to employ small projections or arms L on the cam withcorresponding gages on the die which will just pass between the arms .Lon the cam, thus when no letter is present the die rotates freely, butwhen a letter is brought along the support by the conveyor or drive beltand overlies the cam, the die will engage and cause the cam' torotate upas before eX- plained. The face of the cam is preferably covered withrubber as at M in order to afford a better gripping surface andinoperation it will be understood that the cam is instantly returned tonormal position by the spring Z0 when the letter and die have passed,thus it is ready to engage with another letter as it is presented.

The forward edge of the opening I is preferably depressed as shown at tin Figs. 3 and 4 in order to prevent all possibility of the front edgeof the letter turning down and catching. g b

After the letters have passed from the print ing die, they are deliveredon an incline O, which may project directly from one end of the machineor at right angles thereto, as desired, inasmuch as its function issimply to conduct the letters to the stacker, either side or endwise,asdesired. As shown,it projects in line with the machine and has arrangedabove it a swinging gate P which may be adjusted downward by means of aflexible connection p and will readily yield upward for the passage of along or heavyletter. At the end of the incline O I arrange a roller Qhavtating and when-the thickness of a letter is. r j

suitable guide or track R is mounted a sliding abutment Rf havinganinclined front \vallas shown Beneath the rollerand preferably Iprojecting into grooves r therein, are one or I more fingers 'r'. I

In operation, the letters deliveredfrom the support slide down theincline and their forward edges pass over the roller and as the rollerrotates it will form a V-shaped opening for the lower edges of theletters while the projection or upper end of the facet will turn theletter over against the inclined face of the abutment, as shown clearlyin Fig.1. The

letters will be drawn down'by the roller and held against the track orbottom of the abutment and as they accumulate they will force againstlateral movement and in proper vertical position by the sides R of theguide way.

The operation of the front or canceling and postmarking mechanism isessentially similar to that of my former patented machine and theabutment back. The letters are held it is only necessary to callattention to the fact that in the present instance, the letters insteadof being carried by the belt or moving support, are now caused to slidealong over the stationary support until they encounter the printing camand die, the latter being geared to rotate at the proper moment tostrike a letter carried by the points on the belt.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new is- 1. In astamp canceling machine, the combination with the transversely inclinedstationary support having the longitudinal slots therein, of a drivingbelt running beneath the support and having points or projectionsthereon extending through the slots in the support, and the rotaryprinting mechanism; arranged at a point intermediate the ends of thesupport and driving belt substantially as described.

2. In a stamp canceling machine, the combination with the stationarytransversely inclined support having the longitudinal slots thereinenlarged at one end, of the drive belt arranged beneath the supports andhaving the projections or points passing through the slots therein andadapted to enter said slots at the wider or enlarged end, of theprinting mechanism arranged at a point intermediate the ends of thesupport and driving belt for operating on the letters passing over thesupport; substantially as described.

3. In a stamp canceling machine, the combination with the stationarytransversely inclined support having the longitudinal slots therein, andan opening for the printing mechanism below said slots, of the beltarranged beneath the support with the points or projections thereonpassing through the slots in thesupport,the printing cam working throughthe opening in the support and the printing die cooperating therewith;substantially as described.

4. In a stamp canceling machine, the combination with the support, andthe rotary printing die, of the reciprocatory cam for cooperation withthe die, having one edge, when in normal position, lying in suchproximity to the path of travel of the die as that the die will normallyrotate without engaging the cam, but will bind against and move the camwhen a letter or equivalent is interposed between the two; substantiallyas described.

5. In a stamp canceling machine, the combination with the support alongwhich the letters are caused to travel and the rotating die, of thecooperating cam having a portion of its face arranged in such proximityto the path of travel of the die as that the die will rotate past thecam when nothing is interposed between the two, but will bind againstand move the cam when a letter or equivalent is interposed between thetwo and a spring for returning the cam when released from the die;

impression when a letter or equivalent is interposed between the two andagainst the projection; substantially as described.

7. In a stamp, canceling machine, the combination with the support andthe rotary printing die, of the normally stationary reciprocatory camthrown into operation by the introduction of the thing to be printed andcooperating and advancing in unison with the die to make the impressionwith means for independently and automatically returning the cam tonormal position; substantially as described.

8. In a stamp canceling machine, the combination with the support onwhich the letters are carried and the rotary printing die having theoppositely arranged operative faces and central cylindrical opening, ofthe shaft, the cam rigidly mounted thereon and fitting within thecylindrical opening in the die, whereby the die may turn on said cam tothrow either face outward from the center of rotation, with means forholding the die in adjusted position; substantially as described.

9. In a stamp canceling machine, the combination with the support alongwhich the letters are carried, the die shaft and the cam held inposition on said shaft by a set screw, of the die journaled on the earn,the collar keyed to the shaft and having a limited movementlongitudinally thereof and the pin for uniting the collar and die,whereby the die is held in adjusted position; substantially asdescribed.

10. In a stamp canceling machine, the combination with the support alongwhich the letters are caused to travel and the printing mechanism, ofthe incline down which the letters are discharged, the swinging gateabove said incline, the driven roller at the bottom of the inclinerotating away from the same and formed with facets and projections asdescribed, the movable abutment against which the letters are forced bythe roller and the fingers entering grooves in the roller for preventingthe letters from being discharged beneath the roller; substantially asdescribed.

GEORGE EZRA BARNARD.

